Hello!  My name is Efren Castro (@namehere360 on IG) and I am a queer Latinx writer, editor, designer, and record collector. I am inspired by the past; nostalgia, retro 80s/90s aesthetics, and my own personal history.

          I came from Lennox, CA. Haven't heard of Lennox? It's a small town with a mainly low-income, conservative, black and brown population squished in between Hawthorne and Inglewood. Growing up in Lennox in the early 00’s, I was surrounded by the remains of the 80’s and 90’s. There were Patrick Nagel-style art in beauty salons at every corner, Lennox Middle School was infamous for having the film “Teen Wolf” filmed in our gymnasium, the old Del Amo reeked of mall rat culture, and the Bare Elegance Gentlemen’s Club always shined neon pink and powder blue lights at night. 

        Over the past four years. I've written, designed, and published many zines with my poetry and art including Emo Poems: Stories from beyond the closet, heartbreak stories, days in my life, & Love for me. 

        I am a college graduate from UC Riverside where I majored in English minored in media & cultural studies. I was involved in art-centric organizations including having the opportunity to organizing TQS's open mic event called Poesia Peligrosa where we invited local vendors, bands, and community members for a night of poetry and art. I also founded tQS' literary journal Nuestra Cosita and was an editor for Mosaic. I've also hosted a number of zine-making and writing workshops with organizations such as the Inlandia Institute, MEChA de UCR, and ASPB @ UCR. Currently, I'm doing my MFA in creative writing at my alma mater. I'm also an editor for 3Moons Magazine and I freelance edit other writer's projects.

       If you need help in editing, designing, or are looking for a workshop presenter involving writing or zine-making, contact me. If you'd like to know more about me, please check out my interview with VoyageLA linked below! :)

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click here for my voyagela interview